Video shows Arabs fighting in Somalia

[Che -Guevara]

Associated Press

Mogadishu 06, July. 06 ( Sh.M.Network - A recruiting video issued by members of the fundamentalist Islamic movement in Somalia shows Arab radicals fighting alongside the local extremists in Mogadishu, and invites Muslims from around the world to join in their "holy jihad."

 

 

The video, obtained by The Associated Press, provides the first hard evidence that non-Somalis have joined with Islamic extremists in Somalia.

 

 

The Supreme Islamic Courts Council, which defeated U.S.-backed warlords in Mogadishu last month and is now the country's most powerful force, has repeatedly denied links to extremists such as al-Qaida.

 

 

But the one-hour video appears to confirm U.S. fears - and al-Qaida's boasts.

 

 

President Bush expressed concern last month that Somalia could become an al-Qaida haven like Afghanistan was in the late 1990s. And recordings attributed to Osama bin Laden portray Somalia as a battleground in his war on the United States.

 

 

The videotape, produced to both recruit new fighters and raise funds, glorifies the Islamic victory over U.S.-backed, secular warlords in Somalia. U.S. officials cooperated with the warlords, hoping to capture three al-Qaida leaders allegedly protected by the Islamic council, especially three men accused in the deadly 1998 bombings at the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.

 

 

Those singled out by the United States include the courts council leader, Sheik Hassan Dahir Aweys, branded a terrorist by the Americans.

 

 

Aweys, speaking on Somali radio over the weekend, said his movement had no contacts with bin Laden or al-Qaida. He also rejected accusations that foreign fighters were in Somalia.

 

 

But the video, shot on a handheld recorder, shows Arab fighters preparing for a major battle on the northern outskirts of Mogadishu. Arabic anthems and poetry play on the audio track urging Muslims to join the global holy war to advance Islam and defeat its enemies.

 

 

The video starts with a black flag featuring a Quranic verse and a saber fluttering in the wind. Such black banners have only recently appeared in Somalia but have been used by Islamic extremists in Iraq, Afghanistan and Lebanon for years.

 

 

After a few minutes of battle footage, the tape documents the Arab fighters' predawn preparations for battle, including prayers, a commander's speech to his troops and the preparation of weapons. The Arab fighters then climb onto two pickup trucks mounted with heavy machine guns, which the Somalis call "technicals."

 

 

As the sun rises, the location of the Arab camp north of Mogadishu becomes clear and six more trucks loaded with Somali fighters come into view. A senior member of the Islamic group, Yusuf Indohaadde, is filmed walking among the men before the pickups roll out of an old warehouse compound.

 

 

The rest of the footage follows one group of Somali militiamen as they battle troops loyal to warlords who controlled Mogadishu for 15 years and had ties to the United States. The tape ends with the capture of Essaleh, a small town with strategic air and sea ports three miles north of Mogadishu.

 

 

Most of the tape's audio is filled with Arabic prose and songs urging Muslims to join the holy war against the West, or recordings of speeches given by Somali Islamic extremists. One of the voices speaking Somali is clearly not a native speaker.

 

 

There are also subtitles in Arabic and Somali calling the battle part of "the sacred, holy jihad in Somalia" and "the holy war that began in Somalia."

 

 

The tape is similar to other videos produced by Islamic extremists in Iraq and other countries where al-Qaida is active.

 

 

Evan Kohlmann, an international terrorism consultant who closely follows statements and videos from militant Islamic groups, said the video has traits similar to those produced by Islamic militants elsewhere in the world. If it is confirmed that Arab militants fought alongside likeminded Somalis, it likely would affect how the international community treats the Islamic group.

 

 

"I think it is tremendously significant and may be the determining piece of evidence that will decide U.S. policy on Somalia," he said. "Sounds a lot like al-Qaida when the Taliban were just getting started in Afghanistan."

 

 

Since the defeat of the warlords, the United States has set up the International Somali Contact Group to coordinate policy toward Somalia with other interested nations. U.S. officials have said that counterrorism is the primary focus of policy toward Somalia.

 

 

Shabelle Media Network, Somalia

[Dhubad.]

^I have seen the clip and couldn't see any Arab except Arabic music playing on the background of the video.

[Xarago]

^^Walalo where did you see the clip, I have been looking for it all day...all I could come up with was a clip of if from Washington Post, and those poor children are not Arabs, at least to my understanding.

 

This image taken from an Islamic militant recruitment video obtained by the Associated Press Wednesday, July 5, 2006 purports to show young Arab fighters on the back of a truck as they prepare for battle in Mogadishu, Somalia. The video provides the first hard evidence that despite the repeated denials made by the leaders of the Supreme Islamic Courts Council, non-Somalis have joined with Islamic extremists in Somalia. The Islamic courts' militia defeated U.S.-backed warlords on June 5 and united the city under one authority for the first time in 15 years. (AP Photo)

[Che -Guevara]

I think Marmarsiyo oo lagu turantureeyo Maxaakiimta Baala raadinayaa. I see no Arabs here. The kid on the right who looks little light skinned for a Maxaa tiri Somalis. He could be Somali Arab.

[Xarago]

The irony is every news wire is talking about the video , but there is none showing it.

[Che -Guevara]

Here is link to the video

 

web page

 

Or visit hiiraan.com. They have link too.

 

It still doesn't show much.

[Shiikh_Yaasiin33]

xarago. check this website.

http://www.goobjoog.net/?c=125&a=3214

 

or go straight to

 

http://video.ap.org/v/en-ap/v.htm?g=69C926B9-5DFC-43FF-8EA9-0D64943E98AD&f=ap&fg=copy

 

I have seen light skinned somamlis who clearly do not have arab features? Somaali indho taagan bay u ekaayeen?

 

Gaaladu been badanaa? Maba xishoodaan? Mar waxay dhahaayeen Iraq baa Nuclear Bomb heesata, ceebtii karaacdana waa la ogaa? Marka gaalada maba ka xishoodaan beenta?

[Maf Kees]

I can't believe this. In night vision everybody looks white skinned, no matter how black you are. This kid is Somali. He could even be dhuxul black and most Somalis have caucasian facial features anyway.

 

This is a joke!

[me]

Hahahahha, those guys are clearly Somalis. Come on this is no evidence. And what is incriminating about this video anyway?

 

Well the reason for Iraq was they have WMD.

The reason for Somalia will be there are Arabs there and the funny thing is they could have chartered a plane gone there with some arab actors and said LOOK ARABS here. But no they opted to show a nightvision video with Somalis much more cost effective.

[Abdi2005]

Originally posted by Maf Kees:

I can't believe this. In night vision everybody looks white skinned, no matter how black you are. This kid is Somali. He could even be dhuxul black and

most Somalis have caucasian facial features anyway

.

 

This is a joke!

This is very true and with night vision a somali will look like arab, i have personaly filmed with nigh vision mode and have seen the effect.

[Libaax-Sankataabte]

This is an apparent marmarsiiyo. That youngster looks just like my little cousin. I see a typical somali kid there. It seems to me the wadaado are loosing the propaganda war. Who is smuggling such harmless videos out of the country? Clearly the CIA has its foot on the ground there.

[Didi Kong]

Perhaps it's the Afghani turban he is wearing that makes him look like an Arab? I see no Arabs in the video. People shouldn't refer to the light-skinned reer hamar as Somali Arabs most of them classify themselves as Somalis only. Just an fyi.

[ElPunto]

^And the sad thing is - this is AP. Pretty damn pathetic:mad:

[me]

Remmember Colin Powel showing pictures of RV's and saying they where mobile WMD labs.

 

Dadkan wax walba wey ka suurto gashaa. The media is biased. They have made Somali warlords look like saints by calling them Alliance for the Restoration of Peace and Counter-Terrorism while calling the wadaads Radical Islamic Fundementalists or Extremist Muslims.

 

CNN, FOX, AP or whoever it doesnt matter they are biased just like Shabelle.

[Snake-i]

The weird part about the video is that at first they will show Somali fighters fighting, and there isn’t a single so called Arab at sight, and they all the sudden the night vision comes on, with some men sitting around rather than fighting, weren’t they suppose to be out in the streets of Mogadishu fighting as the video claims. Then they will once again show the Somali men fighting, still no Arab at sight. They could shove this tape up where the sun doesn’t shine. This propaganda machine is going too far.